Bontrager TwentyFour12: 25-26 July

Sometime in the future it will be summer; the days will be warm and long and the nights short. That means the only way to really suffer on a bike will be to ride far too hard for far too long. To this end, Team Streetlife will be heading down in numbers to the annual Bontrager TwentyFour12 at Newnham Park near Plymouth. So if you fancy the idea of being part of a relay team riding for 24 hours then get in touch.

My Batteries Are Flat

So it's these winter rides where you learn about yourself isn't it? Well I've discovered several things:

1) What that bit of towelling on the thumb of my cycling glove is for

2) Warm, dry feet are the key to happiness

3) I feel safer in a bunch but sometimes I just like to ride by myself and get lost on my own time

4) Unless you're a milkman you'll be doing your after-work riding in the dark

5) I can't see in the dark (see item 4)

6) With bright lights and good physical preparation a winter blast can be the most fun you'll have on your bike all year

And here's the point - I've noticed a rather alarming parallel developing between the state of my bike light and the state of my body. All week I'm charging up and full of confidence, then the ride comes round and not only is the level of performance lower than I'd hoped but I fade badly over the second half and run out of steam all together about five miles from home. My legs twitching like a blinking backup LED, I grovel back to base in an embarrassingly low gear and recharge the batteries with recovery protein, hoping that if I eat enough I'll somehow burn brighter next time.

A hard ride is always good for promoting irrational thoughts - 'Are my tyres going down?' 'Will I get into a climbing rhythm if I sing an old Duran Duran song in my head?' 'Perhaps my speedo isn't working properly'. A dark winter ride just exaggerates the process. I mean, the other evening I was thinking, 'If my lights were better would I be fitter?' John

2009 Product wish list.

Rumours are out that these bad boys will be acquiring UK citizenship this year with the launch of Specialized 2009/10 equipment range. First up, the new to the UK but old to Specialized S-Works Chainsets. These in their various forms should be gracing our shores this coming year. Firstly the road sets, these are hollow carbon armed BB30 compatible cranks with interchangeable spiders available in 130bcd Nitride-Boron coated 53-39 ring configuration and 110bcd 50-34 and 48-34. There are also cheaper 53-39 130bcd,and also 50-34, 48-34 110bcd standard 7005 T-6 Hard-coat rings.

Second up are the mountain bike chainsets made using the same 2nd generation hollow carbon crank arms as the road models, these are available in a 42-26 double ring set up and also 44-32-22 configurations. They should be available in 170 and 175mm crank lengths.

Both these set ups are as yet only available in BB30 compatible units but they should be compatible with non-specialized BB30 set ups. Prices are as yet unconfirmed but should be around £350-£500rrp, pricey but totally worth it for what is a claimed 20% stiffness increase over conventional set ups.

Finally there are the new Roval wheels which might be with us this year if not 2010, already available in the states Specialized UK have loose plans to bring them into the UK. The newish ROVAL ROUBAIX™ 322X WHEELSET are desribe by specialized thus "A Classics-styled, endurance-ready wheel, the Roubaix uses a unique spoke pattern to create incomparable compliance-enough to carry you through 8 hours of cobbles and the velodrome sprint-while maintaining exceptionally high drive efficiency." Personally I think they look the nuts and as soon as they become available a pair will hit the tarmac on my tarmac.

Once again retail is unknown, but an educated guess would be between £450-£550, and claimed weight is 1550grams the pair. Watch this space for updates.

The Streetlife 100!

I am pleased to announce the date of the first monthly Streetlife 100 mile road ride. The inaugural event will commence at 7.00am on Sunday the 1st of February, leaving from Streetlife (54 West End Street NR2 4NA). The route is as yet unconfirmed but will take a rough route out towards Harleston, arching over towards Southwold, Beccles, Reedham, Cantley, Freethorpe, Wroxham, Felthorpe and then home, confirmed route and map will be posted on this blog closer to the date.

The ride is open to all levels of riding but remember it could be super cold and wet so only come if you are confident of riding at least 50miles on a bleak and dark winters morning (so lights please). The ride is primarily to meet other riders in the area and build a good social riding network for all levels. My intentions for this first ride are to get different levels of riders together and find the groups that people are happy to ride in and produce more effective training groups from it, and to introduce people to riders that can meet and ride with each other on separate occasions developing a broader range of training and social rides in the area.

If you have never ridden this kind of distance before the winter months are a tough time to start make sure you are confident you will be warm and dry, especially head, feet and hands. We will stop for a coffee and head count in Southwold so a little bit of cash would be a thought. If anyone has any questions please feel free to e-mail us at streetlifecycles@gmail.com

Top Lovely Bikes

We've just taken delivery of three spangly Specialized demo bikes at the Norwich shop. From the worlds of XC, Tri and Road, they all feature world-beating technology as well as looking downright lovely.

Epic Marathon Carbon

Transition Comp

Roubaix Expert

To see them in the carbon flesh give us a call to check they're here.
01603 626660.

New Streetlife Website

As you'll know if you've navigated from it, the Streetlife website has had a revamp and now works. We're keen to make it the first port of call for anyone in the area who wants to find out about bikes. That means we want to load it up with plenty of links, so if you know any sites that you think we should hook up to, send us the url. Catch us at streetlifecycles@gmail.com or visit streetlifecycles.co.uk.

Chicksands Jaunt - not another broken wrist

There was a fine turnout for the latest Chicksands excursion. Even Alex, our revered Manager and famously both wheels on the ground rider, switched to flat pedals and donned the shinnies and p. pot.






Andrew was on fire, hitting up the dirt jumps in the rarefied company of Chicksands golden boy Tom Dowie. Only a couple of other riders took on the big set all day so props to Andrew.



Charlie looked like he was going to be a candidate for rider of the day but opted instead for the less sought-after broken wrist award. There are ways of tackling the wallride successfully but Charlie ignored these and approached at top speed (top). The writing was, er, on the wall when Charlie's front wheel cleared the top edge (middle). At this point the key decision was how to dismount and quick thinking Charlie chose to land on his face and hands in a bank of earth (bottom).

Unfortunately, the combination of high velocity and immovable ground was more than Charlie's wrist could manage and a spot of surgery followed by a period of rehabilitation now beckons. Time to work on the glum but slightly heroic expression.